Waldorf Ed. & ADHD? | ADHD Information

Does anyone know anything about how a Waldorf school would work for a kid with ADHD?

I know it's hard to generalize, but if anyone has experience using a Waldorf school, I'd love to hear about it.

I have a friend whose ADHD son did NOT do well in Waldorf, but it still looks like an interesting option to me, with the emphasis on the whole child, including music, movement, etc.

Thoughts?

I am very familiar with Waldorf.  My stepsister is a Waldorf enthusiast and sends both of her boys to a Waldorf school, and I know two people who started Waldorf schools in the towns they lived in.  I researched it extensively last summer, and I can tell you anything you ever wanted to know about Waldorf  . 

Now, for ADHD and Waldorf.  I doubt most Waldorf folk believe in ADHD, as a neurological condition.  Some might.  They believe most issues children have with behavior are caused by the way in which society rears children.  They believe children should be given very healthy diets (many Waldorf people are vegetarians), get a lot of sleep, and not be overly stimulated.  Most are against video games, computer games, and television.  If they allow their children to partake in these forms of entertainment, they really, really limit the amount of time a child is exposed to them.  The Waldorf school near me requires parents to sign a contract stating that they will only allow their children to partake in these forms of entertainment on the weekends, but not all Waldorf schools do this. 

Parents are a big part of the schools because Waldorf philosophy is a way of life, not just an education, and parents have to agree to "go along with the program."  Most parents, therefore, are kind of artsy, vegetarian, alternative people, who SWEAR by Waldorf.  This is one of the reasons why some people think it's a cult .  The parents are, how can I say this, enthusiastic supporters of the school , who attend parent study seminars and classes conducted on a regular basis at the school. 

So, how do you feel about living a Waldorf life?  Are you willing to eat whole foods, without sugar (for the most part) and food dyes?  Are you willing to go without TV and video games and computers, or at least limit them to the weekends and to educational programs and games?  Are you willing to make sure your child gets 10-12 hours of sleep a night?  Are you willing to attend parent seminars and craft classes?

If you are not willing to go along with the program, then chances are the school will not work for your child.

 

lillian38818.330462963

If the Waldorf school near you comes to your home, then you have a serious Waldorf school.  That's Waldorf "by the book."  I would advise going to the school, meeting the parents (they run the schools), and attending some of their seminars and craft classes. 

There is nothing flexible about Waldorf, IMHO.  I look at it as highly structured.  This is why it is so important for parents to go along with the philosophy.  If parents agree with the philosophy, they don't look at it as structure or conformity.  It's a way of life, and, in their opinions, the best way of life.  They read Steiner's books, they get together for discussion groups, they socialize together, their children socialize together.  I'm not sure my nephews have any close friends, who are not fellow Waldorf kids.  And when you think about it, you can see why.  It's hard to rear a child to eat a certain way and play with certain toys (have you seen the Waldorf toys?) and not play video games or not use computers (though my oldest nephew has Rollercoaster Tycoon), when their friends don't have these restrictions.  So, the kids all end of socializing together. 

On the upside, my nephews, and the children of the two people I know who started Waldorf schools, are neat kids, and they are all artisticly inclined.  However, these kids have been in Waldorf from birth, for the parents were into the program before the kids were born, and I have often wondered how well kids can conform to the philosophy past a certain age. 

 

lillian38818.3909722222The Waldorf school near me requires that you commit to zero tv, zero video games, wood toys only, and 40 hours a year of volunteer time.Oh, as far as it being "white," this is one of the biggest criticisms against it.  Whether or not it deserves this criticism, I don't know, but the seasonal rituals the children observe are European rituals.  All of that, you will understand more by reading about Steiner and his philosphical beliefs.  P.S. 10-12 hours of sleep a night?!!  Right. This child doesn't *sleep*!

Thanks, lillian.

You've hit on one of the reasons we haven't done Waldorf before now -- the apparently restrictive nature of the program. My husband, for instance, is a software engineer and lives & breathes computers. I have heard of Waldorf staff visiting homes before school starts, sort of checking out the home environment. I don't know if the school near us is like this. We wouldn't "pass" on the electronics issue, with a satellite Internet connection being installed any day now, and a GameBoy that is attached to DS's hip at this point.

Sounds like from what you are saying that DS (and the rest of us!) would be held to another kind of conformity, different from public school, but not any more flexible.

I love the connection to nature, seasons, stories, music, art, etc. in the Waldorf philosophy, but have always had some reservations.

While we are a little bit "granola" (no dyes, whole foods for the most part, live on 20 acres in the country, etc.) I think I would sooner swim the English Channel than learn to knit.

I've also wondered about diversity issues, as Waldorf feels very "white" to me, and DS was born in Korea. Is the focus on folk tales all Euro-centric in Waldorf schools, or do they diversify?

 

 

If you're looking for something more flexible, montessori might be something to consider.  It's generally a pretty multicultural environment, granola, but not over the top, tactile learning, which is great for younger kids and is a non-conformist/individualistic environment.  One of the LD schools in our area uses a modified montessori program and I believe they said it works better for inattentive than impulsive ADHD types.

I don't work for one or anything, in fact, DS (who is impulsive type) started at a regular montessori and got asked to leave (they were the first to tell us something was wrong), but I went through 10 years of montessori and really love the method, especially for the lower grades because they are really good at making the basic concepts translate tactily (sp) so kids get a strong foundation and supporting independent learning.

our public school recommended both waldorf and montessori for our adhd son when he was first diagnosed and being a behavioral problem in kindergarden.

unfortunately - we can not afford private school since I am a starving artist.

we never investigated, but I thought that the fact that public school recommended them was interesting.